EE210a
BASIC ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING
Electricity Basic
Principles
ELECTRIC CIRCUIT
An interconnection of electrical elements.
SYSTEMS OF UNITS
CHARGE AND CURRENT
Charge
◦ most basic quantity in an electric circuit
◦ is an electrical property of the atomic particles of which matter consists,
measured in coulombs (C).
◦ charge e on an electron is negative and equal in magnitude to 1.602×10−19 C,
while a proton carries a positive charge of the same magnitude as the
electron. The presence of equal numbers of protons and electrons leaves an
atom neutrally charged.
CHARGE AND CURRENT
Points should be noted about electric charge:
◦ The coulomb is a large unit for charges. In 1 C of charge, there are 1/(1.602 × 10−19) = 6.24 ×
1018 electrons. Thus realistic or laboratory values of charges are on the order of pC, nC, or μC.
◦ According to experimental observations, the only charges that occur in nature are integral
multiples of the electronic charge e = −1.602 × 10−19 C.
◦ The law of conservation of charge states that charge can neither be created nor destroyed,
only transferred. Thus the algebraic sum of the electric charges in a system does not change.
CHARGE AND CURRENT
Electric charge or electricity is mobile
• Positive charges move in one direction while
negative charges move in the opposite direction
• Motion of charges creates electric current
• Conventionally take the current flow as the
movement of positive charges, that is, opposite to
the flow of negative charges.
CHARGE AND CURRENT
Electric current is the time rate of change of charge, measured in amperes (A).
Direct Current (DC) is a current that remains constant with time.
Alternating Current (AC) is a current that varies sinusoidally with time.
1 ampere = 1 coulomb/second
CHARGE AND CURRENT (Example)
1. How much charge is represented by 4,600 electrons?
2. Calculate the amount of charge represented by two million protons.
3. The total charge entering a terminal is given by q = 5tsin4πt mC. Calculate the current at t = 0.5s.
4. If in Example 3, q = (10 − 10e−2t ) mC, find the current at t = 0.5 s.
5. Determine the total charge entering a terminal between t = 1 s and t = 2s if the current passing
the terminal is i = (3t2 − t) A.
6. The current flowing through an element is
Calculate the charge entering the element from t = 0 to t = 2s.
VOLTAGE
Voltage (or potential difference) is the energy required to move a unit charge through an
element, measured in volts (V).
Voltage vab between two points a and b in an electric circuit is the energy (or work) needed to
move a unit charge from a to b; mathematically,
◦ where w is energy in joules (J) and q is charge in coulombs (C).
◦ Voltage vab or simply v is measured in volts (V)
1 volt = 1 joule/coulomb = 1 newton meter/coulomb
VOLTAGE
The plus (+) and minus (−) signs are used to define reference direction or voltage polarity.
(1) point a is at a potential of vab volts higher than point b
(2) the potential at point a with respect to point b is vab
vab = −vba
(a), there is a 9-V voltage drop from a to b
or equivalently a 9-V voltage rise from b to
a.
(b), point b is −9 V above point a.
A voltage drop from a to b is equivalent to
a voltage rise from b to a.
constant voltage is called a dc voltage and is represented by V, whereas a sinusoidally time-varying voltage is called an
ac voltage and is represented by v.
POWER AND ENERGY
Power is the time rate of expending or absorbing energy, measured in watts (W).
◦ where p is power in watts (W), w is energy in joules (J), and t is time in seconds (s).
◦ power p is a time-varying quantity and is called the instantaneous power.
If the power has a “+” sign, power is being delivered to or absorbed by the element. If, on the
other hand, the power has a “−” sign, power is being supplied by the element.
POWER AND ENERGY
Passive sign convention is satisfied when the current enters through the positive terminal of an
element and p = +vi. If the current enters through the negative terminal, p = −vi.
POWER AND ENERGY
law of conservation of energy must be obeyed:
◦ algebraic sum of power in a circuit, at any instant of time, must be zero.
Energy absorbed or supplied by an element from time t0 to time t is
Energy is the capacity to do work, measured in joules ( J).
◦ electric power utility companies measure energy in watt-hours (Wh)
POWER AND ENERGY (Example)
1. An energy source forces a constant current of 2A for 10s to flow through a light bulb. If 2.3kJ is
given off in the form of light and heat energy, calculate the voltage drop across the bulb.
2. To move charge q from point a to point b requires−30 J. Find the voltage drop vab if: (a) q = 2C, (b)
q = −6C .
3. Find the power delivered to an element at t = 3 ms if the current entering its positive terminal is i
= 5cos60πt A and the voltage is: (a) v = 3i, (b) v = 3 di/dt .
4. Find the power delivered to the element in Example 3 at t = 5 ms if the current remains the same
but the voltage is: (a) v = 2i V, (b) v =
5. How much energy does a 100-W electric bulb consume in two hours?
6. A stove element draws 15 A when connected to a 120-V line. How long does it take to consume
30 kJ?
CIRCUIT ELEMENTS
Two types of elements found in electric circuits:
◦ Passive element – not capable of generating energy (resistors, capacitors, and inductors)
◦ Active element - capable of generating energy (generators, batteries, and operational amplifiers)
Two kinds of sources:
◦ Independent Sources - an active element that provides a specified voltage or current that is completely
independent of other circuit variables
◦ Dependent Sources - an active element in which the source quantity is controlled by another voltage or
current. (transistors, operational amplifiers and integrated circuits)
CIRCUIT ELEMENTS
Ideal Independent Voltage Source delivers to the circuit whatever current is necessary to
maintain its terminal voltage (batteries and generators).
◦ Symbols for independent voltage sources: (a) used for constant or time-varying voltage, (b) used for
constant voltage (dc).
CIRCUIT ELEMENTS
Ideal Independent Current Source is an active element that provides a specified current
completely independent of the voltage across the source.
◦ Symbol for independent current source
CIRCUIT ELEMENTS
Four possible types of dependent sources:
◦ Voltage-Controlled Voltage Source (VCVS).
◦ Current-Controlled Voltage Source (CCVS).
◦ Voltage-Controlled Current Source (VCCS).
◦ Current-Controlled Current Source (CCCS).
◦ Symbols for: (a) dependent voltage source, (b) dependent current source.
1. Calculate the power supplied or absorbed by each element
2. Compute the power absorbed or supplied by each component of the circuit
